Winsted's flat budget requires cuts to planned spending

WINSTED >> While voters approved a flat budget at the Oct. 27 referendum, Winchester mayor Maryann Welcome said that several sacrifices would have to be made. One of those sacrifices was funding for the Economic Development Commission, and on Monday, commission chairman Dick Labich debriefed the Board of Selectmen on what they hoped to accomplish with their limited funds.

"This is a lot to absorb tonight," Welcome said of Labich's report.

CoHmpiled after the Board of Selectmen's Oct. 15 meeting, the report features a strategic plan for the commission, including goals, strategies and plans to recruit businesses. However, these efforts will be hamstrung in part because of the commission's smaller budget. Most of their available funds for the fiscal year have already been spent on hosting fees for the Economic Development Commission's website.

But Labich and the commission compiled numerous strategies to help bring in more businesses, which will in turn generate more revenue for Winsted. These businesses would go alongside Winsted's numerous small businesses -- Labich said that there is a substantial number of one- and two-person businesses in town -- and those revenues will help with Winsted's tight budget history.

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"From the board's perspective," said Selectman Glenn Albanesius, "and myself in particular, the revenue that's going to be generated by new business is going to be critical."

Labich outlined several areas to target, some of which came from a July meeting with the Northwestern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce.

"Our emphasis, our focus on marketing, should be on tourism, education and small business," said Labich of the meeting. "We can't ignore manufacturing, but our focus should be on those three areas."

The board agreed to route any feedback through town manager Dale Martin's office, while adding that they will need to be engaged in the commission's progress out of necessity. The Board of Selectmen also serves as Winsted's board of finance, and as Albanesius said, "as we budget and act as a finance board, we need to know what revenues are coming in."

"The urgency is critical," continued the Selectman. "We need to present Dale with a list of pending revenue opportunities. If we don't have any, we need to let them know."

Positive reinforcement could come from other businesses already operating in Winsted. Selectman George Closson noted a letter from the owner of the McDonald's franchise in Winsted, which regarded Scott Eisenlohr's involvement, remarking that "this has to be expanded."

"We've seen so much negativity about getting approvals from the planning department," Closson continued. "I think all of those wonderful things we've got going on in town could start to bloom."

However, Eisenlohr's full-time position with the town has been eliminated as part of the budget. Eisenlohr will continue as a part-time inland wetlands enforcement officer, while the rest of his duties, including those of interim town planner, will fall to several other town employees, such as Martin.